Argumentation based bioethics education: Genetically modified organisms and genetic screening tests

Nowadays, the rapid growth of technology has produced important developments in biotechnology techniques. These developments have raised new controversial issues between society and science. Therefore there is a need in science education to consider scientific research and its applications alongside ethical consensus. One of the essential outcomes of science education is to enable students to develop deeper understanding of the subject and to be able to make informed and balanced decisions about socioscientific issues. Bioethics education chiefly aims to increase students? awareness of the controversies raised by biological sciences, to raise their consciousness, and to improve their decision-making skills making use of scientific facts and ethical principles.To achieve this goal, the teacher, who is in charge of leading this process, has huge responsibilities. In bioethics education, controversial subjects with no clear-cut answers do not fit easily within the traditional teacher-centred models of instruction. Since these kinds of subjects require alternative learning settings where students can freely discuss and express their beliefs and values. Smith (1992) proposes a ?Framework for Teaching Bioethics? that comprises these basic features. Developed in view of the basic principles involved in the ethical decision-making process, this model has a seven-step structure that aims at reflecting on and reaching a conclusion about a moral dilemma put forward by the teacher for debate purposes:-Identification and Presentation-Gathering Background Information-Individual Value Clarification-Small Group Discussion-Class Discussion-Closure-Extension or ImplementationEven though classroom debates of value issues (social, cultural, religious, moral, and legal) caused by biological sciences have been demonstrated to significantly contribute to the raising of social consciousness and awareness, research shows that neither academics in higher education nor teachers in primary and secondary education deal with these issues sufficiently in their classes. So, this study focuses on two research questions:1-Is there a significant effect of ?Framework for Teaching Bioethics? on students? argumentation quality?2-How individuals? content knowledge contribute their argumentation quality?3-Is there a significant effect of ?Framework for Teaching Bioethics? on students? ethical values?To reveal the answers of research questions, in this study a quasi-experimental pre-post test design was used. The participants of the study were fourth grade biology teacher candidates (n=31). General Biology Achievement Test (GBAT) was used to determine students? content knowledge level. Also interviews were conducted with 12 of participants, who were selected according to their GBAT scores. During interviews participants advanced their positions about ethical dilemmas, which were about genetically modified organisms and genetic screening tests. Participants? arguments assessed in terms of justifications and their scientific grounds based on a four point rubric (Argumentation Quality Rubric). Results indicate that ?Framework for Teaching Bioethics? significantly affected students? argumentation quality. The combined results of the study showed that content knowledge was not significant factor for prediction of argumentation quality.Keywords: Bioethics, bioethics education, biology, biotechnology, genetic engineering, argumentation